The incident occurred after a summer and early fall of urgent urination episodes. The first came while returning to Des Moines from Colorado. He barely made it off the highway before needing to go.

Kerr woke up two or three times a night to rush to the bathroom. He never considered it to be a medical problem, just a consequence of a large amount of water and other fluids he drinks.

He consumes more water than the average person because he lives with neutrally mediated syncope. It’s a condition that can cause fainting and is treated by increasing fluid intake.

When the uncontrollable urge to urinate struck him at work, Kerr decided he needed to go to the doctor.

“That was the moment where I realized this was a problem that was bigger than I thought it was,” he said.

It turned out he also had a different problem. A female member of Drake’s coaching staff came into an adjacent room while Kerr urinated in the empty whirlpool — which he immediately scrubbed and sanitized.

Scott noticed she saw him and apologized.

“I was embarrassed and humiliated,” Scott said.

Two days later, the coach came to him and said she was uncomfortable with what she had witnessed and said he should report it to his boss.

“I was really upset and scared,” Kerr said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen to me or who was going to take care of the athletes that day. There was nobody there to do that.”

The next day, Aug. 31, Kerr met with a Drake human resources employee and gave a statement. It took about 20 minutes, he said.

Kerr made an appointment with his doctor on Sept. 1. Hatfield Clubb called and asked for a meeting. Kerr said she insisted the meeting take place before he went to his doctor.

Hatfield Clubb said Kerr was unfit to care for student athletes after urinating into a whirlpool used to treat athletes.

Hatfield Clubb “said I should have peed in my pants like she had done one time in an airport when she couldn’t get to a bathroom,” Kerr said.

I wasn’t in that room. I don’t know what was said, but if what Kerr said accurately reflects what he says Hatfield Clubb told him, well, that’s a rotten thing for a human to suggest to another human, let alone a supervisor to suggest to an employee.

And, to be fair, there really isn’t much school officials can say that won’t look like they are picking on a loyal Drake employee with a health condition. The court of public opinion trends toward Kerr's favor.

Monday, Kerr’s son, Bryan, set up a petition for his reinstatement. It had more than 1,000 signatures by Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of comments followed, all praising Scott and some condemning Hatfield Clubb for her decision.

A mother whose son was treated by Kerr after suffering a severe neck injury while playing football for Drake sent a heartfelt letter in praise of Kerr to Martin and copied the Register.

Drake officials released a statement Tuesday morning, the full text of which you can read below. Most of it follows Kerr’s version of events with two notable exceptions.

First, the statement said Kerr was terminated for urinating in the whirlpool "and his failure to report that behavior until the female colleague who witnessed his behavior insisted the matter be reported."

The way Kerr tells it, he discussed it with the coach and self-reported. The way Drake seems to be telling it, the coach forced Kerr to give himself up.

The difference is subtle, but in legal matters, that can be all the difference.

The university’s statement also said: “Mr. Kerr did not request an accommodation for any medical condition prior to the events in question, nor prior to the termination decision.”

Kerr agrees he didn’t ask for a medical accommodation. He said he wasn’t sure there was a problem until the day of the incident.

But Kerr also said Hatfield Clubb "insisted" they meet on his employment status before he could meet with his doctor.

The two "insisted" moments could be the heart of the matter. Did Kerr amicably agree to report, or was he forced into it? Did Hatfield Clubb insist on meeting with Kerr before he met with his doctor to know what medical accommodation to ask for?

Kerr and his attorneys say they want to keep the matter out of litigation. Kerr wants to go back to work, though I don’t know how anyone could go back to work for a person who allegedly told him to wet his pants.

As an alumnus, I don’t know what to make of the whole mess.

I respect Hatfield Clubb. I’m an unusual sports fan. I don’t care if the Bulldogs win championships every year.

I just want kids to get a good education and for programs to stay out of the kind of trouble that embarrasses bigger universities. Drake has mostly avoided those problems under Hatfield Clubb.

Yet, of all the people I’ve met in my association with Drake, Kerr is among the least likely I would ever expect to be involved in any kind of controversy or to be fired by Drake.

Next to beloved athletics historian Paul Morrison, Kerr is probably the most well-liked person in Drake athletics.

This whole situation is a little bit like a messy divorce between close friends. You wish they could just work it out and get back together.

But despite those fond wishes, deep in your heart, you know something is broken that cannot be repaired.

Daniel P. Finney, The Register's Metro Voice columnist, is a Drake University alumnus who grew up in Winterset and east Des Moines. Reach him at 515-284-8144 or dafinney@dmreg.com. Twitter: @newsmanone.

Drake University statement on termination of Scott Kerr

Personnel matters are taken very seriously at Drake University and out of respect for everyone involved Drake works hard to preserve their confidential nature. However, given Mr. Kerr’s decision to open this matter to public discourse, Drake University is compelled to take the extraordinary step of providing a more detailed response to Mr. Kerr’s accusations.

Mr. Kerr was terminated for his decision to urinate in a training room whirlpool that is utilized by the student athletes under his care, and his failure to report that behavior until the female colleague who witnessed his behavior insisted that the matter be reported two days later. Mr. Kerr did not request an accommodation for any medical condition prior to the events in question nor prior to the termination decision being made by Drake University. Sandy Hatfield Clubb consulted with human resources, university counsel, and university leadership before taking action in this case. She gave full consideration to Mr. Kerr's many years of service and felt the weight of the respect and concern that she personally feels for Mr. Kerr. However, Mr. Kerr's conduct rendered it impossible for him to continue as Drake University's head athletic trainer. Drake University looks forward to presenting the Iowa Civil Rights Commission with a comprehensive depiction of Mr. Kerr’s conduct and the conscientious decision-making process that led up to his separation, and Drake believes that the Commission will agree that Mr. Kerr was terminated for his decisions and conduct and not due to any unlawful discrimination.

Response from Scott Kerr's attorney, Roxanne Conlin:

The notion that Drake gave any meaningful consideration to Scott before firing him is simply false and revisionist history. Within 15 minutes of Scott reporting what occurred, the Drake athletic director ordered Scott to leave the building. The athletic director then terminated Scott before giving him a chance to consult with his doctor to obtain a diagnosis or treatment. Drake’s athletic director gave virtually no consideration to Scott, his years of service or his sensitive medical issue before choosing to fire him after 31 years of sterling performance. It would be surprising if the Iowa Civil Rights Commission gave any weight whatsoever to this ridiculous defense. In the statement issued by the university, the administration admits that Scott was fired for something directly related to his condition of disability. It doesn't matter who the athletic director and administrators consulted with if their actions violated the law. And they did.